


Seven Days

by GintaxAlvissforever



Series: Disgaea Headcanon Universe: The First Timeline [2]
Category: Disgaea (Games), Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
Genre: Attempted Murder, Biting, Cheating, Dubcon Kissing, Dubious Consent, F/M, First Time Blow Jobs, Love Triangles, M/M, Matchmaking, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-07-23
Packaged: 2017-12-21 02:56:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GintaxAlvissforever/pseuds/GintaxAlvissforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adell did not like women. He made Rozalin the exception. The only problem is he couldn't take their relationship up to the next level without experience. And that's where things go to hell when you ask someone like Axel for help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Days

**Author's Note:**

> Seven Days
> 
> Disclamer: I do not own Disgaea 2. That belongs to Nippon Ichi.
> 
> Summary: Adell did not like women. He made Rozalin the exception. The only problem is he couldn't take their relationship up to the next level without experience. And that's where things go to hell when you ask someone like Axel for help.
> 
> Pairing: One sided Adell/Axel and Adell/Rozalin
> 
> Rated: M (for mature)
> 
> Genre: Drama, Friendship, Romance and Hurt/Comfort
> 
> Warning: Yaoi (boy/boy), swearing, paranoia fuel and unintentional OOC
> 
> Well I told my friend Zelina I would make one story with lemon and this is close enough. Generally post game of Disgaea 2 good ending and things to consider. Enjoy~
> 
> Here is some advice though before you start reading. I'm very aware that Adell is a demon but he's referred to as a human because he nor the characters except his adopted parents have any knowledge of this.

|  |  |  | 

**DAY 1**

The voices of the forest whispered in the peaceful Veldime. After the curse of the fake Overlord Zenon was removed, Veldime returned to the quiet human village where they could live in peace with no fear of losing their minds and becoming demons. With the peace came moving forward. Adell's younger sister Hanako left with "Beauty Queen" Etna to another Netherworld to try and become her apprentice. Yukimura left the group with her brother Fubuki to try and rebuild the Snow Clan and of course Axel was enjoying the fame with the defeat of the fake Overlord Zenon by claiming that he trolled the entire universe.

With nowhere to go, Rozalin stayed with Adell so they can start to live happily together with Adell's brother Taro and Rozalin's childhood friend Tink being her faithful servants. Adell continued his job as a demon hunter to keep his village safe from demons who tried to disturb the peace.

All was serene except for one important detail that happened after the battle with the fake Overlord Zenon. Adell and Rozalin were an item now. Adell swore to be by her side and gave her a kiss to prove it. Now Rozalin (after being in denial officially) expected Adell to keep his word. The battle maniac would not break his promise. There was one tinsy bit problem though.

As good as Adell was in battle and as smart the redhead managed to demonstrate time and time again, he had no idea how to take their relationship to the next step. Heck, he didn't know if he would be going too slow or too fast. He just knew that after that one kiss, Rozalin was being a tad bit more aggressive with her advances. And given he did have some pride, he wasn't going to tell anyone about his problems without getting laughed at.

By the worse luck though, the person that found out about his problems just had to be the biggest idiot in the universe. It was all because Adell attempted to make out with Rozalin and when she was expecting more he gave her the dopiest expression like he had no idea what to do resulting in him running off leaving the vampire confused and disappointed with her man.

Axel saw the whole thing and made himself known once Adell was out of Rozalin's range. You know you screwed up when the biggest idiot calls you an idiot and there was no way to counter that whatsoever.

"Oh Adell, you should have called your eternal rival for help if you were having lady troubles." He said in a condescending tone. Being popular with the ladies now made Axel a bigger prick than usual.

"Why would I ask someone like you?"

"Ah come on Adell, I'm the Dark Hero and I know a thing or two how to get the ladies smiling."

"Uh huh, they smile at your failures."

"That was then and this is now. Besides, I wouldn't leave a beautiful lady alone after failing to go the next step."

That…literally was a blow to Adell's pride making him puff his cheeks in frustration.

"I'm leaving."

Now it was Axel's turn to frown as he rushed over to Adell and grabbed onto his arm. "Ah come on Adell. You can ask your rival for help on your relationship. I usually charge for my services but I'll make you the exception."

Adell sighed at Axel's suggestion but he didn't push him away. "And that's supposed to make me feel better because?"

"I know what to do so you won't embarrass yourself in front of Rozalin anymore. You keep this up and someone else will find out. It won't be good if her servant found out right?"

The redhead froze not wanting to think what would happen if Tink found out. He would never hear the end of it and now that Tink was no longer a frog, he was more vocal about his concerns for Rozalin and how Adell would not be suited for her.

"Uh…what do you suggest then?"

He shouldn't have asked because Axel just gave him a dopey grin that made the battle maniac want to punch his teeth out.

"Practice on someone else before you try to pressure her. You can't have your first time with the one you love end in a complete disaster right."

"…Are you…"

"Practice with the great Dark Hero! Don't worry, having fun with me won't change anything. I'm just so awesome that it won't matter."

Yep, Axel was an idiot and Adell needed to get away from him before he actually considered the offer. It was just Axel after all…

"…How long will it take before…I'm ready…"

"It depends on the person. Rozalin probably wants you to hurry up though, but when you're with me, it should take a week maximum…if you're a quick learner."

Adell really shouldn't consider this idea without thinking of the consequences…but Axel knew how to push his buttons…

"Are you saying I'm slow?"

"Did I? Well…"

"I'll show you that I can learn all the techniques in a week! Just tell me when to start!"

Axel chuckled nervously before mumbling. "We could start now, but I seriously doubt…hey!"

The redhead really wanted to get this done. One week and he could forget the humiliation. One week of practicing with this idiot was all he needed…one needed…

"Hey! Slow down! A lady isn't going to like a man being all aggressive on her! She'll call rape!"

Adell really wasn't listening at this point. The battle maniac pushed Axel into the tree forcing his jacket down to the ground. He had to get this part right at the very least…the foreplay.

"Are you listening to me Adell? H-Hey…ahh!"

The redhead was quick with sucking his teeth into the older demon's skin causing him to yelp. What else could he do beside biting and sucking? There was going in for the win, but he was too cowardly to do that. A smack brought him back to reality.

"Dammit Adell! Don't be so forceful or Rozalin will do the same thing I just did!"

It took a couple of seconds for Adell to realize that he just got slapped before looking down at what he did. Blushing he pulled away from the Dark Hero.

"S-Sorry…got carried away…"

"And that's why I'm here. You can't let your emotions do the talking or you're going to hurt her. You have to be gentle if you don't want her first time to be ruined. You need trust between you and the other party to make this work."

"…Trust?"

Adell knew that word very well. Axel chuckled as he nodded his head in approval. "Right trust. I know I'm sexy and you wanted to see my body but please don't attempt that again until you're ready. The first thing you need to master is kissing. You can't go any farther without that."

"Umm…about that…kissing…with you is…"

"Oh Adell! It's okay to admit you suck and you would be blown away by my make out skills."

The Dark Hero really needed to stop riling the battle maniac out. He was supposed to be a mentor to him but he with his provocation, that wasn't going to happen. Especially when Adell pushed him against the tree again. Catching him off guard, Axel ended up opening his mouth in surprised as Adell inserted his tongue into the other's mouth. Axel didn't react at all forcing Adell to figure out what he was supposed to do during the kiss. There was no love in the kiss but it was still passionate. He attempted to explore every area of his mouth before he was forced to pull away.

"You were saying?" Adell asked between breaths.

"Asshole…we're not done."

"Oh?"

The Dark Hero growled as he wrapped his arms around Adell's head to kiss him. Screw this whole mentor thing now! This was payback! By forcing Adell's to lean forward, Axel could easily turned the tides. The battle maniac was not going to let Axel have his way though. Without realizing it, he wrapped his arms around the Dark Hero and fought for dominance. He had the advantage being the stronger of the two and having Axel against the tree while they had their make out session.

It wasn't fair! Adell was supposed to be an amateur but Axel felt himself losing against him. Then again, Axel lied about having the experience and just had to open his big mouth again. He had all the ladies looking his way but it didn't matter though because they only kissed him on the cheek at best and let him get beaten up at worse. The redhead could hear the older demon moan into the kiss causing him to smirk once they pulled away.

"Are you sure you know how to tutor me?" Adell questioned with an arrogant smirk. "You look like you were swept away by me."

Even if his cheeks were flushed Axel pulled away embarrassed. "You haven't seen anything yet. J-Just because you know how to kiss doesn't mean you can act like that with Rozalin!"

Annoyed with the Dark Hero, Adell just scratched his head in frustration. "Then what should I do?"

"You said a week was all you need. I'll teach you everything you need to know about making your woman happy. As long as you don't tell anyone about this then it's all good."

"I don't think anyone would believe me if I said I made out with you." Adell grumbled. In the back of his mind though, he was screaming that this wasn't a good idea and if Rozalin found out, she would kill him.

"Gee I'm honored. Well Adell, for tomorrow, I'll show you the next step so make sure when you come out of Veldime make sure no one follows you."

"Yeah yeah…whatever."

Little did the two know, things weren't going to be as smooth sailing as they wanted it to be…

* * *

**DAY 2**

Axel hummed as he was preparing for Adell's lesson. Today he would show Adell how to properly undress a woman…or a man in Axel's case. The idiot's movement was too barbaric for his taste. A refined girl like Rozalin would push him away if he attempted to rip her dress. That was why he was willing to crossdress for Adell's sake.

With his popularity soaring, it wouldn't matter if he wore a dress or a jacket or a mini-skirt. Axel was still going to be the ever popular Dark Hero that trolled the entire universe. All men wanted him dead and all women wanted to be with him…but ironically once they saw him, they were quick to flee after one kiss. It kind of hurt his pride as a man but he still liked the attention and money.

The only problem with putting the dress on was there was no one to help him. He specifically told his Director to stay outside and not to peek. If the Director saw Adell, he wanted him to see him in his room immediately.

The dress was ridiculous. He tried to get an outfit similar to what Rozalin wore so the redhead could have an idea on how to remove it but hell! The outfit was stuffy, the dress was tight around the waist and he couldn't reach the zipper in the back. He could barely move in the dress and sitting on the bed just made him want to scratch his back.

He closed his eyes and rested on the bed. All he could do was wait for his "prince charming." Thinking of that name though made the blond demon frown. He really hoped that things would turn out how he wanted it to for once.

"Axel darling, Adell is here."

"Good, send him in.  _Well that was fast._ "

The redhead didn't even hesitate to barge into the room. If the door wasn't brand new, it could have flung off its hinges (and Adell would be paying for that with his own pocket money). Adell looked like he came back from training and rushed to the location after he was done. Just seeing the sweat trailing from his face with a goofy smile made his heart beat.

"I'm ready for my lesson." He hummed. There was a hint of sarcasm and arrogance in those words causing the Dark Hero to turn away.

"How about you close the door. If anyone hears about this, then information might get back to Rozalin."

Adell obeyed as he closed the door behind him still smirking. "So why are you in the dress? Are you trying to be the Dark Princess?"

"Ha ha. Very funny. Now go shower. I won't start the lesson unless you do."

"Huh? How come? It's not going to take long!"

"You don't even know what I have plans for you."

"No, but I know it involves black dresses and being the hero."

That earned a pillow to the face that Adell manage to catch. He still didn't expect Axel to use a lot of force in that throw so when Adell caught the pillow, cotton was flying everywhere.

"If you want me to help you, go shower now!"

It wasn't everyday that Axel sounded angry (or was he embarrassed like yesterday). Not wanting to question his sudden drop in mood, Adell quickly made his way to the bathroom. It was nice seeing that now Axel was popular that he got all the high quality items. Of course, if any demon were to shower, they would be shamed. The Dark Hero was one of a kind and since Adell was a human, he didn't need to follow the demon customs.

While Adell was in the shower, Axel was trying to determine how he would do this lesson. Should Adell just take his clothes off multiple times or should he have his way while zipping him into nothing but his underwear…

Speaking of underwear…he wasn't wearing much underneath the dress. He didn't want to wear the tight panties in the end and fear the thin straps getting stuck between his buttocks. It was sexier anyway to not wear anything but…he didn't really want to show himself naked in front of the redhead.

Adell came out of the shower approximately five minutes later. He didn't bother having a tower over his private areas (probably because he thought today was the day they were going to do something sexual) and only had a towel over his hair. It was a mistake to take a glimpse of Adell's figure and look away. They were both guys so it shouldn't have been an issue.

"So what's next on the list?" He questioned quite eagerly as he got on the bed despite his body still dripping with water. The battle maniac without his clothes on was very well built. Anyone could see he worked out and it paid out when he looked like one of those human bodybuilders. Then again…Adell was human…yet…

"W-What do you think? With how you treated me yesterday, its like you didn't understand how to undress a lady. So today, you're going to tenderly undress me like you would undress Rozalin."

"…That's it?"

His voice sounded disappointed.

"We're going slow. If you don't get this part right, then the other lessons won't matter."

"But…the zipper is still…"

"Like I could put the dress on myself…do your job as a man and remove it."

The blond demon didn't say that with much confidence. He feared that Adell would struggle with the dress and just rip it off in frustration. He didn't want a repeat of yesterday's performance. Slowly, he faced away from Adell and this was probably a good thing. His cheeks were bright red when he felt one arm around his waist.

"…This isn't necessary."

"Oh? It's not? M-My bad."

He pulled away almost immediately and focused on the zipper. It was just one zipper and Adell was having a difficult time zipping it down to the bed. Axel could smell the frustration coming from the redhead who just wanted to get this over with. After a couple of minute, he unzipped the dress, but Axel forced it to stay up.

"Zip it back up and try it again. If you struggle at the beginning, she'll lose motivation."

"W-What?! You can't…"

"Is battling the only thing you're good at?"

"No. I'm a good kisser. You can vouch on that one."

"W-Wha…"

Adell didn't let him finish as he zipped it back up. That was the easy part. Now all he had to do was zip it down again. Not taking his hand off the zipper, he zipped it down…only to get stuck in the middle causing him to squirm.

"…One more time."

The redhead was forced to zip the dress back up and then zip it down. This time, the zipper did not get stuck and Axel allowed the dress to fall.

"…You're not wearing any underwear?"

"What you were expecting something frilly with cute hearts?"

Adell gave him a cold stare as he ended up pushing Axel onto the bed to remove the top completely.

"H-Hey! You can't do this to Rozalin! You have to be gentle!"

"Uh…gentle…not my style…"

"You're going to have to compromise, idiot!"

Adell released his grip on the blond demon. When the biggest idiot in the universe called you an idiot, you screwed up.

"Then what am I supposed to do then?"

"Well stop thinking with your dick and focus."

"Hey! Who said I was-"

Axel sat up but refused to look at him when he spoke. "Look, when a woman is having sex for the first time, she'll want a guy to take it slow. Even if the man wants to satisfy himself, he has to know what his lady wants. Otherwise, she'll be offended and leave you at the drop of the hat."

"Sounds like you're talking from experience."

This time, Adell was rewarded with two middle fingers flipped his way making the redhead snicker at the Dark Hero losing his temper again.

"Jokes aside, I'm serious. Adell, you really need to understand how to set the mood, otherwise, you're only going to make the situation worse for you and Rozalin."

"Uh…I know but…I'm not much of a thinker so I just…"

"Trust me on this Adell. You'll probably get slapped if you attempt the same shit you try on me. Which is why tomorrow, I'm going to teach you how to set the mood."

"Uh…but today…"

"We can't really move on if you can't even get this step right. Thank you for showing me that."

"Uh…"

"If all goes well, your lessons might be done in a week, but I doubt it." The Dark Hero announced with a smirk as he covered his chest with the dress not bothering to put the dress back on. At least he could breathe again. "Just have faith in the Dark Hero and you'll score with your girl."

Adell only stared at the blond demon in silence as if taking those words into consideration. Confused Axel leaned in to see his expression only to be met with a surprise kiss and being forced on the bed again. This wasn't supposed to happen but he ended up moaning into the kiss. Having the kiss lying down was different than being pushed into the tree. He was defenseless with the redhead's hands grabbing at his arms and holding him down so he couldn't move away. Why did he have to be so aggressive and did he have to rub his member up against him?

"I really hope I'm getting better at this the great Dark Princess." The human hummed as he pulled back again.

"Jerk…I'll never approve of a surprise attack…" Axel mumbled whipping his mouth this time around. Why did he feel disgusted this time?

"But you're the Dark Princess who always plays dirty."

"Uh…just get your clothes and get out. Tomorrow, meet me in outside of Veldime and tell anyone who asks that you're going training with me."

"So I can make up how you want protection with your prank."

Axel knew he was at his limit when he pushed Adell off the bed. The battle maniac only laughed at his reaction as he got up.

"Fine, fine, I get it. You want to be left alone. I'll just take my clothes and leave."

The purple orbed demon gave Adell the silent treatment for the rest of the time he was there. Knowing that he was just pouting at being humiliated again, he put his clothes back on and left the room. The blond demon plopped his head onto the pillow and let out a huge sigh. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

**DAY 3**

Rozalin was suspicious of Adell for leaving early in the morning for a mission. While Adell was a morning person who would run laps around Veldime, today he clearly told her that he was going to meet up with Axel today. When asked why, Adell laughed and responded with, "He's paranoid now that everyone remembers him again and wants a bodyguard."

The vampire really couldn't ask anything else from him. She trusted Adell to take care of himself but after that night where he failed to make a move correctly on her, he's been…avoiding her. His pride was probably hurt and he needed to take his mind off of the night and try again…so she'll be patient.

Axel was waiting in the same spot where Adell found him two days ago. His eyes were closed as he rested against the tree.

"…You're early."

"Well of course. I didn't want to keep the Dark Princess waiting."

"…Try to be on time instead of being late or early. If you're early, then the woman will doubt you and if you'll late, the woman will be mad at you. If you're on time, then it will seem like you were in no rush to get things done."'

"Uh…"

"…Let's go…"

"Where?"

"To another dimension for a date."

"Oh okay…" Adell paused as the words came to mind as his eyes widened. "Wait what?! A date? No! I'm already dating Rozalin!"

"That's technically what this is. Setting the mood means to read what your partner is thinking during the date. At the end of the date, you might get lucky depending on how well you play your cards. All guys know this Adell, but it seems like you lack the common sense."

"Why you…"

"Great now, let's go."

Grabbing Adell by the arm, he ended up dragging him deeper into the forest. There would be a portal that would lead to another Netherworld. Only the Dark Hero would know these portals especially when he would start jumping from Netherworld to Netherworld to spread his popularity even more.

* * *

Adell never really understood how Netherworld jumping worked. Yes there was someone to help the group get from one place to the other without walking for days or weeks but this was too convenient and it wasn't Adell's style.

This was a normal street where demons walked. The sun shined in this small town where demons were selling weapons and trying to get others to waste their money on items they didn't need. The battle maniac wondered if they were near an arena where he could spend the day fighting instead of hanging out with Axel who wasn't acting himself at all.

Axel kept glancing around and turning his back. It was almost like Axel thought they were being followed and needed to have his guard up. Not really date material unless this was an act.

"Hey Axel."

Axel jumped from just Adell calling his name. Definitely not normal.

"What…?"

"You're on edge."

"…No…not really."

That wasn't an Axel response either. Yes he didn't look Adell in the eye when he was embarrassed but he was just looking at the ground instead of enjoying the sights of this new town.

"…Axel?"

"Hey Adell, there really is an arena here to test your skills. Want to watch the battles?"

Of course he did, but that really wasn't he should be worrying about but…

"Hell yeah! And if I can enter the arena then that's even better!"

"…Battle maniac."

Adell was already ahead of him demanding the Dark Hero to pick up the pace and tell him where the bloody battles would be. Naturally Adell was failing to read the mood as predicted and it annoyed the musician…as well as relieve him. Adell will never force him to answer when something is wrong, so he could just keep this to himself…and probably handle the problem on his own…

* * *

And here they were in the tournament watching other demons kill each other. Axel hated these sporting events despite hosting one to get at the fake Overlord Zenon. Axel really was different from other demons. He was open with his heart, he was very cowardly and he really hated fighting. It explained why he wasn't good at fighting to begin with and just wanted to make money to get by, so if he had to play the role of the villain, so be it. He sighed looking over to Adell who was trying to hold in his glees as he watched the match from afar. They had a good seat if only because Axel's popularity was allowing them to get the best of the best.

Looking down, a gladiator was set to fight a dragon with just his bare fists. Acting like a kid, Adell leaned over the railing making Axel want to push him over just to wipe that smile off his face.

"Rozalin was right, you are a battle maniac."

"No I'm not. I just like a good match up."

"Whatever you say…I'm going to go get us something to drink…please don't even consider jumping into the ring."

"What? Why? I would never…"

Adell really was thinking of rushing into a battle he didn't need to be in. How could Rozalin deal with someone like him who rushed into things instead of using his brain? Axel truly liked the side of Adell that used his brain during the Geo Block segment of the tournament. It made him more human and less of a tribesman.

The vending machine here was different than other Netherworlds. With how this Netherworld had a better relationship with the human world, many things were taken and the vending machine was one of them. All that needed was needed was a few HL to get a juice.

_Now what would that idiot like? Probably just water…_

Pushing the button, he waited for the drink to be chosen and fall down. As he waited though, he saw some demons (three of them to be exact. One was a ninja, the second was a gunner and the third was a rifle demon) approaching him. He turned his back on them hoping they wouldn't notice but his white jacket was noticeable anywhere.

"Dark Hero Axel…" The gunner began taking his gun out, "how dare you trick the three Overlords! You'll pay for your life!"

"Nope, you got the wrong guy." Axel said rather happily as he got the drinks. "Just a normal demon that's watching the matches with a friend."

"You really think we're stupid?" The ninja questioned getting his sword out.

_Well you had to be stupid if you thought Overlord Zennon was a fake. I can't fake the number of deaths that the fake Zennon killed._

The Rifle Demon didn't even hesitate to turn his hand in Axel's direction and start shooting. The Dark Hero was quick on his feet when the demon fired.

"Get him!"

This really wasn't Axel's day...all he had to do though was rush back to Adell and the battle maniac will find an excuse to get some exercise. The only problem was they weren't going to let him out of that area. The ninja Overlord created clones of himself intending to slice the blond demon's head off. The purple orbed demon tripped at the last second to avoid his head falling off. His eyes widened in horror at the revelation that unlike the other Overlords that beat him up, these Overlords really intended to kill him for the prank. Before he could react, he was blasted into the wall by the rifle demon.

"Guh!"

"You're weak!" The blue demon declared pointing his arm cannon in his direction again. "But that's good for us. Trash like you need to learn your place!"

Axel rolled out of the way before he was blasted away. The brick wall behind him crumbled into tiny bits.

"Uh…do you guys have to be rough? Can't we talk it out?"

"At least you admit you're the Dark Hero."

"I never…" Axel looked in the other direction and gasped. "Hey! Is that the Dark Hero over there?!"

He pointed in the direction opposite of where Adell would be. These Overlords weren't really that bright if they really looked in that direction. Axel used this opportunity to rush off toward the battle maniac. Realizing they were tricked again, they give chase.

"GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD!"

* * *

Adell felt like he was in battle heaven watching these matches. The skirmish proved deadly and the fighter was showing off mad fist skills that Adell wanted to improve himself. The only reason he didn't jump in the middle of battle because he was going to show that he was not a crazed fanatic. He was tempted to do so though…

Seeing Axel running his direction though made him smirk. It didn't take him that long after all.

"Hey, Axel what took so long to…huh?!"

Axel kept running until he ran into him causing them both to fall down. This was a good thing because a bullet went over their heads. Once Adell saw what was going on, he forced Axel to stay on the ground.

"Get back you Dark Hero and die!"

"Axel, what the hell did you do?!"

Adell was quick with the accusation that he didn't seem to notice that Axel was shivering on the ground. He forced Axel to stand up and it was only then did he notice that the music demon's legs were trembling.

"A-Axel…"

The three Overlords caught up to the Dark Hero with their weapons ready to attack.

"Hey human, move out of the way! You're messing with the three great Overlords of this dimension!"

"Oh? I don't remember there being Overlords here." Adell snarked. "I think I'll need your names."

"I am the Overlord Revolver!" The gunner declared. "All who stand in my way will have lead pumped into their skull!"

"I am the Overlord Koga…" The ninja mumbled. "My clan will not suffer another humiliating situation at the hands of demons like the Dark Hero."

"I am the Great Overlord Girimehkala. No one shall be enlightened as long as I'm around."

These Overlords might be difficult to deal with. Adell stood his ground and ended up standing in front of Axel.

"…Why do you want to kill Axel?" Adell asked. "He's an idiot but death is something this guy doesn't deserve."

"Anyone who humiliates the three great Overlords will suffer at our hands! Now move before we kill you too."

Persuasion wasn't going to work against these guys. Adell sighed as he pushed Axel back a little more.

"Axel, you owe me once we're done."

"J-Just get rid of them. I kind of have a job to do after this. Can't get blood on my jacket now can I?" The music demon asked while he laughed nervously. It was obviously forced and he was trying to hide the fact that he was scared shitless, but Adell knew better.

"This won't take long. Axel, take cover."

"What?"

Adell didn't even give the Overlords a time of day before he charged them at top speed delivering powerful blows to their body and sending them flying into the arena. It was the best excuse to jump in and fight everyone but Axel couldn't judge him at this point as he found himself hiding behind a pillar watching from a distance. His heart rate wouldn't calm down. He was use to situation like this so why was he freaking out now?!

"Come on you stupid Overlords! Show me what you got!"

The thing about Adell is once he defeated the fake Overlord Zenon, there really wasn't any competition for him. If the Overlords weren't so stupid, they wouldn't be standing behind one another when Adell jumped toward them causing a crater to appear. It only took one fiery punch to crack the rock in his way and sending the fiery depress in their direction. It was honestly pathetic to see all three of them sent flying from one attack into the wall. However, the rifle demon wasn't done and he recovered the quickest charging toward the redhead intending to shoot him in the head. The redhead showed no mercy charging at Girimehkala and kicking him into the air followed up with a barrage of powerful punches and kicks. It ended with a powerful uppercut that resulted in an explosion. There was no sympathy here. Adell ended up killing that Overlord with that fiery uppercut. For a second Adell looked cool after posing and Axel found himself staring at…his tie that blew in the wind slightly after the explosion.

"That was too quick." Axel said with a laugh as he came out of his hiding spot. "Maybe you were too hard on them. I mean you killed one of them…"

"Oh they were nothing and-"

Adell ended up flexing his knuckles as he backhanded the ninja without looking back. Apparently he wasn't done yet despite the powerful attack. You could hear the skull crack from just the punch.

"Whoops."

The music demon managed to calm down at this point as he went over to Adell and patted him on the shoulder. "You're not half bad. You're bodyguard material."

"You owe me by getting these lessons done faster."

"Oh come on! I got you some water."

The battle maniac just chuckled as he took the water bottle from the Dark Hero. "You're going to need more than that to bribe this human."

"Uh…you really can't read the atmosphere.  _At least the way you handled these Overlords would win points with Rozalin though…_ "

"Did you say something Axel?"

"Nope. I'm just going to stand over here so you can watch your battle again if they're still going to keep at it."

"I honestly doubt it. The battle was one-sided. Man, what a let down. Axel why did you…huh?!"

Adell may have spoken too soon about defeating the Overlords. Two may have been eliminated but the third was still alive. He took most of the damage, but he was still standing. His outfit was burned from the flames and his hat was tilted in front of his face with a whole on the top of it. He still had his pistol that was aimed toward Axel's head.

"Die."

The battle maniac didn't even have time to warn Axel of the bullet beam heading in his direction. Instead, Adell dove in Axel's way shielding him from the attack. There was no way of knowing where the bullet hit but by the time Axel turned around, Adell had already been shot.

"A…"

Because it was a beam instead of just a bullet, the blast ended up hitting the wall causing the beam to bounce back and hit the floor they were standing on. The ground collapsed causing demons from other areas of the arena to scream at the sudden floor failure. Despite being injured, Adell held onto Axel tight preventing him from being damaged from the falling debris and taking the full blow from the cracked floor.

"Adell!" Axel shouted trying to shake his rival awake. Blood was dripping down his head and he lost consciousness. Where was he shot? Was there a bullet in the back of his head? Did it zip past him and the shock made him faint? He didn't know what it was but all he could see as the color red as he stared ahead where the gunner pointed his gun in their direction again.

"I'll end you both now."

This couldn't be happening. Adell couldn't die because he was being an idiot and letting his guard down. Axel glared toward the Overlord. His body was suddenly glowing a bright light.

"How dare you do this to my friend!"

Now it was the Overlord who was caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. The truck being Axel because with just a blast from his hand the Overlord seized to exist with the only thing that confirmed his existence was the gunner's hat. That would soon be nothing but dust as the debris from above crushed the hat.

Axel didn't seem to realize that he killed the Overlord with magic because his attention was back to Adell who was turning paler by the minute.

"Come on Adell, stay with me!" He begged as the light was still surrounding him. Searching for any traces of a bullet, Axel let out a sigh in relief there was no bullet lodged inside his skull. He was still losing blood from the head though from the particles that fell on him when he tried to protect the Dark Hero. At first, he tried to lift Adell off the ground but the battle maniac proved heavier than he was resulting in the two almost falling to the ground. Cursing for his weakness, he tried again and only was successful because the light was summoning a group of golden butterflies to assist him. Oddly though, Axel didn't seem to realize that there were butterflies that were giving Axel the extra strength to allow Axel to move through the stadium with Adell.

"Adell, stay with me, we're going back to Veldime…just…don't…die…"

Axel wondered how he would make it back to Veldime and explain the situation to Adell's family. He was going to be at fault anyway, so he might as well tell the truth. Lying was only going to ask for more questions…and god forbid if Rozalin found out about their manhandling for the past two days.

Adell didn't realize how much trouble he was in until he saw the pool of blood he was standing in. Everything was bleak around him with nothing but black and red drops of blood that rained down from the invisible walls.

"Why did you betray me?" A familiar voice questioned him. "Why did you betray me after promising you would be with me?!"

Adell's eyes widened seeing his girlfriend in front of him. He attempted to walk toward her but jumped back when she attacked him.

"R-Rozalin, what's wrong? Is the seal broken?"

"I'll ask you again wretched human, why did you betray me? Was everything you told me a lie?!"

"What no? Rozalin, things are fine."

The redhead knew he was screwed if he couldn't calm his girlfriend down. Overlord Zenon almost killed them twice because the seal was broken. Why did it break now?

"Liar! You leak of another demon!"

Adell felt sweat dripping down his face. He forgot that a vampire has a good sense of smell especially if it was blood. He backed up slightly with his hands up. "N-No, you have it wrong. That's…"

"Liar! You went with some other demon because you knew I wouldn't be able to do much! I can't make your wishes come true so you flock to someone else! You are a liar after all! I was right all along! I am a being of solitude!"

"Rozalin please!"

She started to float in the air preparing Dark Liberation.

"Wait, wait, wait Rozalin! You don't understand! I'm doing this for you!"

"Are you really? Or are you just saying that? All men are the same…"

"Rozy…"

"I am a being of solitude! Disappear you liar! Dark Liberation!"

Adell could do nothing as his vision blurred almost immediately. He felt pain all over his body…he felt like his body was falling apart in front of him and all he could see was red and hear his own screams.

The battle maniac shot up from his nightmare in a cold sweat. Catching his breath, he looked down to see his hands were still in one piece even if there were some bandages wrapped around him. He felt a sudden sting in his head as he raised his hand to his head by reflex. He could feel a bandage wrapped around his head too.

_What happened?_

"Uhh…"

Adell flinched looking around on whose voice was that. He then looked near his other hand and noticed yellow spikes almost poking his eye. He intended to push the thing off but upon inspection, he saw that hair belonging to a sleeping Axel who was resting his arms on Adell's legs. The redhead couldn't help but smile seeing the older male being able to sleep peacefully…

"Adell…"

Now hearing that voice was enough to push Axel off of him causing Axel to whine when his head hit the floor.

"R-Rozalin…how…where…"

He couldn't even speak coherently in front of her now. The nightmare really shook him. Rozalin didn't seem to notice how tense her boyfriend was though as she ended up explaining his question.

"You and Axel went to watch some demon sporting event like the battle maniac you are. Overlords angry with Axel's declaration attempted to assassinate him. You recklessly took a hit for him and ended up like this. Honestly, if two boys go off to something like that of course you'll end up all beaten and bruised. Luckily your mother was able to take care of your injuries."

"I see…"

"I never would have expected you to go anywhere with that idiot though."

"I take offense to that…" The Dark Hero yawned as he slowly sat up.

"Well if you didn't have those demons after you, Adell wouldn't be like this, but that's to be expected. Wherever you go, trouble follows."

Axel chuckled nervously with Rozalin's tone but he did not have a rebuttal against her words. Adell almost felt sorry for him, but he still couldn't remember what happened with those Overlords.

"But, what happened to those Overlords?" Adell had to ask. If they weren't dead then that meant that they could come back at anytime to kill Axel and he didn't want to be caught off guard again or for the idiot to be somewhere where he couldn't see him.

"I ran off of course. I'm a fast runner." Axel declared with confidence in his lie.

It was a very convincing one but Adell honestly doubted that Axel would have made it in one piece if that were the case. There would be no reason to ask any further if those Overlords did decide to show their face here. Rozalin thought the same way and only added.

"As long as you do not attempt to go out of your way to make trouble, I can let you off for now."

She was talking to Axel though as she turned to Adell with a not amused expression. Adell looked away as she continued to scold him. "As for you Adell, I will not let you out of my sight."

"Right…sorry…" He apologized even if he felt like he wasn't in the wrong nor was he thinking of Rozalin's feeling at the moment. The only thing that came to mind was how was he going to get lessons from Axel now. Looking toward the Dark Hero, he was thinking the same thing. Perhaps they would have to find a way around her watchful eyes…

* * *

**DAY 4**

And found a way around Rozalin's eyes Adell did. Axel was free to go the next morning when he felt well rested (in reality, he stayed just to keep up the lie that the Overlords would go after him the minute he left Veldime). Adell just had to get Axel to bend the time of when they would meet and it would be nearby to where Rozalin wouldn't bother looking.

Adell directed Axel to meet up in another portion of the forest near Veldime while Adell got his things ready for another training session that the female vampire didn't need to trail after them.

The blond demon wanted to get this done anyway. Adell was insane for suggesting to do it where anyone can spy on them and in the middle of the day too. He made sure to get behind the biggest tree preparing to strip down to nothing. His mind was still rushing about yesterday's events though. Adell did not need to take the blow for him. He could have dodged that with ease. Sometimes he wondered if the battle maniac even used his brain.

"…You're here early…" Axel mumbled quietly hearing Adell's footsteps behind him.

"Sorry, if I left too late, she would suspect something was up."

"Wouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Nah, this is usually the time I go out training."

"She told me you train more than three times a day…"

"Yeah…she told me to take it easy and to come back a half hour early because of my injuries. But enough about me, let's get this over with. What are you going to teach me today? You wouldn't let me do anything yesterday."

"Yesterday was the mood you broke by getting injured. It's not my fault you wasted a day because of your stupidity." The Dark Hero snarked causing Adell to flinch at those words. Why did everyone act like he wasn't capable of saying something intelligent? "Next time listen to me or I'll stop it today."

"Fine, what is it today?"

"Continuing from two days ago, you're allowed to go further after taking off my clothes. The next step is to pleasure your partner and finding their weak spots… _without speaking with your dick._ "

Axel mumbled that last part because he had a feeling that Adell's hormones would take over at this point. The redhead though wanted more details than finding their weak spot.

"How do I find their weak spot? It's not like fighting so…"

"It's different for each person. What Rozalin likes is different from what I would like…"

There it was again. The Dark Hero could hear the voice in the back of his mind yelling at him for being a selfish demon and a terrible friend at this point. He drowned the logical side of him like he always did. Adell was still puzzled but started without all the information. Forcing Axel on his knees, the battle maniac considered the older male's back as a weak point. Before Axel could lecture him to do anything but give a massage (because that wasn't hot in his book), the Dark Hero could feel teeth sink into his shoulder.

"H-hey! I thought you were touching my back, not sucking my blood from my shoulder!"

The redhead didn't respond to him. Instead he forced Axel on the ground. There might have been a little bit too much force seeing as how the music demon was spitting up the dirt that he might have gotten into his mouth. Adell was too busy pulling down whatever garment the Dark Hero add on left as he repaid the bite with a small kiss. He didn't even have to react when Adell slowly hoisted him back off to continue his biting followed by a let trail running down said bit mark.

"W-What are you a vampire?" Axel muttered holding his voice back. "G-Go somewhere else…"

"You said I had to find it but you seemed satisfied in this spot."

"Idiot, you have to go in more than one place or you'll bore her to death."

"Like this."

Using his hands Adell traced down Axel's stomach going straight for his reproductive organs. Axel immediately slapped the battle maniac's hands away.

"The hell! You don't go for the treasure until you satisfy her enough! That's like telling your partner you want to make it quick and not enjoy the moment!"

"But…you're not Rozalin…"

"Well picture me as Rozalin but with an awesome body instead!"

Realizing that Adell didn't register that he should take it slow, Axel pushed Adell away before pushing him to the ground.

"It's your lucky day. The Dark Hero will show you how it's done."

Adell rolled his eyes at his overflowing ego while Axel was quick to loosen his tie and pull his shirt over his head. The Dark Hero made quick work kissing at Adell's pecks and slowly going toward his stomach trailing kisses while he was at it.

"Stop, that tickles!"

_Says the guy who has killer apps._ Axel thought, his cheeks turning red when he thought that. Maybe he was being a hypocrite with removing the others pants when he hadn't done much to pleasure Adell to begin with. However, he wasn't expecting the redhead's dick to just pop out. H-He's already hard?! Well that does explain why he's rushing…but to think my awesome body already made him like this.

"I thought you said you were going to show me what I did wrong…" Adell grumbled as now he was turning pink with his hardness.

"I did, but seeing as how you just eager for some action, I'll give it to you now." He said with a confident smirk that did not reflect what he was thinking on the inside though. Even with all the knowledge of sex and acting like he was the next best thing, he really had no idea how to perform orally. Then again, he didn't think he would go sucking off to some man.  _If it's my rival…it should be fine…plus he's not too ugly._

Taking a deep breath, he got down on his knees and clutched the other's length in his hands. He slowly licked the tip of the cock…slowly forcing it inside his mouth. Already Adell was feeling the sensation with Axel's slow movements as he tried not to let out any noise to alert anyone that might have been in the area.

"Uh…ahh…can you hurry up?"

_You're already rushing me you jerk?! I would like to see you do this to me! Err…not…what I meant…_

Ignoring Adell's commands, he continued to go slow. He kept thinking how wrong it was and how the situation should switch given he certainly wouldn't be the one pleasuring his partner. Yes girls have it differently but Adell would enjoy the sensation with his girlfriend than his idiotic rival. Discouraging himself really wasn't a good idea now because he should focus on the task at hand, yet he couldn't force the battle maniac's cock any further down his throat.

Adell didn't register that maybe he was putting too much pressure on the Dark Hero as he instantly grabbed at his head and forcing him to take his whole cock in. Almost immediately Axel could feel his gag reflex reacting at the sudden change as he tried to warn Adell however with the battle maniac's strength, he had no choice but to deep throat his penis. The worse part was that Adell gave no warning that he was near his limit when he came inside the older demon's mouth causing him to throw himself back with all of his strength. The music demon coughed up some of the semen that was still near the surface of his mouth but he felt disgusted at swallowing most of it before he had a chance. Of course, he felt himself be turned on by this little act but he wouldn't admit it.

"What…the…hell!" He cursed as he wiped his mouth and hiding the major blush on his face. "How can you fuck up so much?"

Adell was still panting when Axel started to ramble about how bad he screwed that one up. This was until he got on top of the battle maniac to get his attention.

"Hey, I know I do terrific blow jobs, but you got to listen to me!" He whined as he beat on his chest.

Still in his daze, he looked up at the Dark Hero and reddened to the color of his hair. "W-Wha…"

"Rule number one: You don't tell your lover to hurry up! Rule number two: You don't force your lover to deep throat without their consent! You might as well be raping their mouth if you do. Rule number three: How dare you climax without any warning whatsoever and so quickly? I mean, I'm so awesome that you finished in record time but you can't do that to Rozalin and expect her to be happy…"

"Sorry…I wasn't expecting…that was…"

"I know it's amazing. So about you do it to me now?" The Dark Hero hummed as he backed himself up against the tree. His heart was beating as Adell slowly made his way toward him. Closing his eyes he allowed the redhead to have his way with him to a certain extent. He would stop him after the blowjob.

* * *

**DAY 5**

The lessons were almost done. All Axel had to teach the redhead now was to prepare his partner before making love could officially begin. In all honesty, he wasn't thrilled by this idea now that idea at all. For this lesson, he would have to leave himself vulnerable to the battle maniac and so far, he had shown to be very aggressive with how he handles sexual situations. Axel wouldn't want to admit it but he would prefer if he went slower and was gentler to him. The chances of being laughed out of the bedroom would be much higher if he gave his preferred method of sex because even with all of these girls that were paying attention to him, he was still a virgin and he wanted his first time at the very least to be tender.

The Dark Hero ended up throwing said pride out the window when they came back into the forest that night. (Axel refused to go to the hotel since his Director was getting suspicious of his activities as of late, so he had to pack some lube in his pocket to prepare for the inevitable). He demanded that the redhead would be humane toward him causing great confusion, but whether or not Adell actually understood what it meant to not act like an animal during practice, he was making a good effort in pleasuring the older demon.

Clothes have already fallen on the grass and the Dark Hero was laid out in all of his glory. Continuing where they left off from the other night, Adell was thrilled with the different reaction he was getting from the blond purple eyed demon. Squirming under his body, reacting to every kiss and touch caused his blood to rush to multiple places. Yesterday may have been slow but today he was determined to go all the way.

"T-touch me here…"

"Right here?"

"Y-Yes…there…ahh…"

While Axel was being more open-minded with where Adell could touch him, he still kept his voice down. He might have been a little too loud the previous night and refused to attract any attention. Adell was a fast learner though. In just one night he knew how to turn his partner on and have them cling onto his shoulder. The Dark Hero cursed at himself for falling to lust so easily, but Adell was so good and…

He touched him in that spot between his legs again or rather was rubbing his cock against his owns. He was fine with just rimming because it meant that he wouldn't be hurt but he promised Adell to go all the way and he was getting to the point where he wasn't thinking clearly anymore.

"How am I doing Axel?" The battle maniac questioned. When ordered to be gentle, he made sure to ask the music demon of his condition but even he was slowly letting his instincts come in.

"F-Fine…"

"Good, just tell me when you're ready…"

He was never going to be ready for this but even with those thoughts he nodded his head slowly.

"I'm…ready…" He mumbled. "You just…have to…use the…lube…ahhh…"

His body was on fire from just Adell's hand movements. His cock was twitching with the younger male's touch. He couldn't lose himself now…

Adell stopped his actions causing the Dark Hero to give off a disappointed groan to grab the lube. How was he supposed to use it?

"J-Just pour it and apply it here…" Axel murmured as he stretched his legs out. He didn't need to direct his finger to his hole because Adell was smart enough to figure this out.

Adell was quick dumping the lube on his hand. It might have been a bit too much though especially when he started applying the liquid substance. Upon making contact, Axel's body reacted violently causing him to scream and punch Adell away.

"COLD!" He cried out. "WHY SO MUCH?!"

"Oww…sorry…gee..."

He sighed rubbing his face with his other hand before continuing. Moving slower this time and slowly inserting his finger inside of the older demon, he started preparing the Dark Hero for the final task. He felt his cheeks redden hearing the music demon moaning with something being inserted inside of him. He forced himself to deal with the cold sensation as he attempted to wrap his legs around the redhead. Adell shuffled a little by this reaction as he inserted a second finger inside. This wasn't a good position for the two males, but at this point, Axel doesn't care. Inserting three fingers in, the Dark Hero didn't seem to be in the same reality as Adell now with his constant panting.

Adell was puzzled with his reactions now. If Axel were experienced like he claimed he was, why would he act like an innocent puppy (if you could put it in those terms)? It almost seemed like it was just the opposite.

"Axel…is this…your first time?" He had to ask as he pulled his fingers out preparing himself for the final task.

After catching his breath, Axel was able to replay the question in his head. His flushed faced slowly paled at the realization that the redhead found out just through his actions. Dammit, this wasn't what he needed! Adell would think that this whole thing was a set up if he continues to think that!

"N-No…I'm not…"

He couldn't even keep his voice in check. He was shaking now and it wasn't a positive thing now.

"Are you sure because I'm about to put it in."

This was what was supposed to happen at the end of the week. Axel knew that he would have to guide the younger human all the way until the end and give himself up to someone who didn't love him at all. Maybe he would have something to brag about when all was said and done but…as Adell positioned himself, he felt his vision blurring. Someone or something inside of the Dark Hero was telling him not to go with this and he felt the voice getting louder before he found that it was his own voice that surprised the redhead. The Dark Hero ended up pushing Adell off of him and slamming him onto the ground with him on top.

"A-Axel?!" Adell called out noticing immediately that his rival was panicking now. "Calm down!"

"Stop it…stop…no…I won't…I won't!"

Despite the sudden surge of strength, the battle maniac managed to switch their position holding Axel's hands over his head trying to get him to relax. This action seemed to make it worse until Adell used his other hand to slap him before letting go.

"Come on Axel! Talk to me! You're not going to have a freak out in front of me! Dammit!"

The next few minutes were a blur to the Dark Hero. All he could hear was screaming (probably his vocal cords) and repeated phrases telling him that everything would be okay. Was his body glowing? He had no idea. He just knew that his brain shut down and he could feel his body burning. And not just being in the sun too long burning. He felt like he was being fried to a crisp hotter than the demons that fell into the volcanoes of the Netherworld and were dragged out and sold on the market as food…

"AXEL!"

Was he becoming those victimized demons that were taken out of demon orphanages and fed to the larger demons for money and to reduce the child population? He was good for nothing so he might as well submit himself to these burns and accept his horrible fate.

"AXEL!"

Closing his eyes he felt himself tearing up at the idea of being used for food supply. Why couldn't he do anything right? Why was he so useless?!

"AXEL, SNAP OUT OF IT DAMMIT!"

It took one good punch to bring him back to reality. His vision coming back, Axel witnessed the battle maniac in front of him. Why was he frightened? What…did he do?

"A…dell…"

The redhead let out a huge sigh, as he didn't realize he was hugging the Dark Hero now. "Thank god, I thought I lost you there…"

"What…happened…?" Axel asked weakly feeling his cheeks turning red again. Even though they were both naked, Adell was still very warm.

"I-I don't know. I thought I was doing a good job taking it slow but you panicked and started crying and screaming and I didn't know what to do…dammit…dammit…you frickin' idiot…"

_So I couldn't do it after all._  Axel thought to himself sadly as he allowed Adell to embrace a little longer before realizing how touchy he was getting and pushed him back. The mood was ruined and they would not be able to continue. With this fact in mind, Adell was quick to retrieve both of their clothes and slip on their garments.

"…Adell…did I say anything…weird?" The blond demon asked nervously as he slowly adorned his favorite white jacket.

"Besides screaming and begging me to stop…you didn't say anything…but your body was glowing…"

His eyes widened in horror at the realization. Did his powers just run wild because of...

"Axel? Is everything okay? I have never seen you glowing in battle? Is that…"

"I'm sorry Adell. We're have to continue this tomorrow."

"Huh?"

Finishing suiting up, Axel stood up and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

"I'm going back to the hotel tonight…I'll see you tomorrow after my performance…"

"Hey! At least call me if anything is wrong or send a letter or something that you made it back in one piece!"

"…Yeah…I will…"

* * *

**DAY 6**

No matter how long he waited for Axel to show up, the Dark Hero never came back to Veldime like he promised. Adell wondered if he really screwed up this time with his advances. He thought he was doing a good job but he must have been wrong. He had taken some cell phones to call up the Dark Hero but he refused to respond. It was unlike him to ignore him at all. Axel was a well known attention whore, so to finally disregard his calls actually riled him up.

"Come on Axel, pick up dammit! What happens if someone attacked you again?!"

He was talking to an answering machine at this rate. He intended to storm the stage Axel intended to perform on just to knock some sense into him.

Maybe I should talk to his director...

"Adell?"

The redhead jumped back at his girlfriend's voice again. Three days of jumpiness and she had enough.

"Adell, what has gotten into you?" She questioned in a low, stern voice. "You've been acting weird since you…you…"

"…"

"Is your man's pride making you avoid me? I didn't really mind that you were bad-"

"Stop it Rozalin. It has nothing to do with that." The redhead cut her off. His tone was sharp but his eyes avoided making contact.

"Then why have you been avoiding me and enjoying company with Axel? A few weeks ago you wouldn't give him the time of day now that he has his fame."

The battle maniac could feel his muscles tense. What if what happened in the dream came true and she accused him of cheating? Everything he told her or rather the real Overlord Zenon would be just a lie. Adell didn't fear death though. He feared breaking her heart over a misunderstanding that she would not listen to.

"We're just…hanging out…he was just…giving me advice."

"Adell…tell me the truth. What are you two doing together?"

He shook his head in denial. He would not break his promise to her. Even though the devil on his shoulder was already telling him that he was almost done and needed to continue lying, the angel part of him just said to confess now and stop this charade. It was his pride though that told him otherwise.

"We're just hanging out. I'm surprised that he's not a complete idiot when we're together."

He should have worded his statement better. That made it seem like they were dating. Rozalin's worried gaze became a glare at this point.

"Together…are you…"

"No! Rozalin I just-"

The phone that Adell was clutching was finally ringing. Thinking it was Axel he picked up the phone. "Axe, where the hell are you?"

" _Axel? I thought you were the Dark Hero."_

His heart sank hearing Axel's director instead of the loud musician. Well it was natural for his Director to have access to his phone, but this is what he didn't need now.

"You're his Director? Do you know where I can find Axel?" The redhead questioned his voice sounding desperate.

" _I was going to ask you the same question. My darling Axel hasn't returned since last night and he missed his appointment! He said he went to Veldime to see the tribesman."_

_Good to see that he hasn't promoted me to rival around anyone else._  The redhead griped to himself not understanding why he was disappointed in the first place. "He left last night so I thought he already ran back to that room to hide under a bed."

" _That's harsh you tribesman! Now do me a favor and go drag Axel from wherever he is. He has an interview at 10:00 tomorrow and he needs to be in top condition. And I'm not taking no for an answer from you. There will be problems if you don't find him by then!"_

"Hey, at least give me some-"

The phone call was cut after that threat. Adell didn't think his Director could sound so threatening. Putting the phone down, he was forced to face Rozalin.

"That idiot hasn't returned."

"Adell… you still haven't."

"…I'm going out to find him. I swear he can't take care of himself when he's alone."

"Adell…"

"Rozalin, why can't you trust me?" He suddenly asked her. "I'm just asking for advice from him-"

"Who asks advice from that idiot? You admitted yourself."

"I know but…" He took in a deep breathe before continuing. "Rozalin, I know I'm asking too much from you, but please help me find Axel. Even if he just ran off, I think I know where he is…"

The vampire stared at her lover still observing his every move. Nothing came out of her mouth, as she was contempt with a staring contest with the battle maniac. Adell stood his ground but was slowly breaking into a sweat the longer the silence went on. Finally, Rozalin let out a sigh in defeat as she gave the okay.

"Don't get me wrong Adell. I'm going to claw an answer out of you, but if you're really worried for Axel, I shall assist you."

Adell smiled as he went over to his girlfriend and embraced her. It's funny how he could do something as easily as hug the vampire but couldn't go beyond that. "Thank you."

* * *

Axel let out another string of curses as he walked through the Cavern of Evil. Of all the places he decided to run off to in the middle of the night, he chose the one that terrified him the most when he originally went in here to help save Adell's kid brother. Yes he still kept the flute on him in case those demons came out again, but it was still a ridiculous place to be. The fact he got here within a couple of hours and wondered endlessly…

"Dammit Adell!" He cursed again as he banged his fist into the cave wall.

What scared him more than these rampaging demons that could attack him were the feelings in his chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be attractive to his male rival. It would ruin the image of the Dark Hero indefinitely. Add the fact that Adell was already in a relationship and he was trying to play matchmaker originally was not easing his mind. He felt his legs give up on him as he slid to the ground. Slowly he moved up against the wall pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. How did it come to this?

"I'm…really an idiot…"

Everyone who knew the Dark Hero said those same words to him to bring him down. His entire life was about stepping on him to make his or herself feel better. When he hears these words come out from his own mouth though, it hit him harder than whatever anyone else said. It made him feel weaker than what he already was. No one would see him in this melancholic state.

… _What am I supposed to do now?_ Axel asked himself as he turned his head to the side with a sigh.  _I can't go back to the Director in this state. I can't continue this lesson with Adell anymore and if I go anywhere else, Overlords will go after my head…why am I so…_

He shut his eyes shut as he let out another string of curse words. It was Adell's fault. Everything started because of him. If he didn't screw up his recording then he wouldn't have to work so hard to get himself back on TV. He wouldn't have had scared his family into thinking he was dead. He wouldn't have to go through that ridiculously egotistical phase where Axial had to call him out on his attitude problem, and he sure as hell wouldn't save Adell twice from those rampaging demons. Everything always led back to him and through observing (certainly not stalking) the redhead he realized that he liked Adell. Adell was everything he wasn't: strong, courageous, a reliable older brother and caretaker of the family. He was only human but he did everything Axel wanted to be…a true hero, and he sure he had a lust for the battle and acted like an untamed animal but his heart was in the right place and he always kept his promise. Was it any wonder that someone like Rozalin would fall for him? It's more ironic that the loser of the universe would fall for the same man, but to hide those feelings, he would declare Adell as a rival (that he did not even acknowledge anyway). The Dark Hero would never ask for anything else other than to be noticed. Adell halfhearted did so when Axel had to come begging to him to help him regain his reputation back, but even then, he loved being able to put the hero in Dark Hero for the redhead even if Adell had to throw sarcastic comments back at him.

"I'm really an idiot…" He repeated as he let out another exasperated sigh. He had no idea what to do next. He couldn't just fake these feelings that accumulated over time and confess. That would ruin the whole point of these lessons and as much trouble as he caused Adell and Rozalin, this was one thing he didn't want to give them any romantic woes especially if it was a pointless love triangle. He had never fallen in love before especially not with a man already in a relationship. If he acted like his usual self, he would be burning bridges left and right. That wasn't the way to go, so he had to figure out what to do.

_Maybe I should run off to another Netherworld where Adell can't find me. That way…maybe they can forget I ever existed._  He stood up as if something clicked in his mind. "That's it! I'll take Pink and go to another Netherworld to gain popularity! I'm such a genius!"

He kept telling himself that but he was only running away from his problems. He was always like that though. Whether it was from his responsibilities of being the caretaker of his family to being a Dark Hero or even a talk show host, he failed at what he did or ran away when the going got tough. Being with Adell gave him confidence with himself but now that didn't seem possible with these complicated feelings of the heart. Pink will understand though and she'll follow him even with a little resistance. She wouldn't leave him alone in another Netherworld and might talk him to going back but right now he was certain that this was the right action.

As he pumped himself up, he didn't seem to notice footsteps coming his way. As he was about to continue walking when a bullet almost hit him square in the face. He was lucky he stopped at the last second. His heart stopped as he saw the bullet hit the ground.

"Dammit I missed!"

_Shit another one!_  Axel thought in panic as he turned around only to be stormed by more bullets.

"I'll get you for killing my brother Dark Hero!"

It was another sniper only with a different colored outfit and tone of voice. He sounded younger than the Overlord three days ago but he also seemed to be more bloodthirsty. His red colors reflected that.

"H-Hey! I have never seen you before! Y-You got the wrong guy!" Axel began again but this guy would not talk things out. He kept shooting his direction forcing Axel to dance to avoid the bullets at his feet. This caused him to fall on his ass and rolling out of the way from the next rain of bullets.

"You're not getting away from Ocelot!" He barked as he reloaded his bullets.

"P-Please calm down. This must be a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? I saw what you and that human did! You killed my brother's friends like they were nothing. And for a Dark Hero, you sure had power of one."

Axel cursed to himself for thinking that no one witnessed him pull that stunt off. He couldn't let that come out or bad things would happen for certain. Slowly he stood up but still had his hands in the air.

"Powers? I don't have any of that? I'm just an actor…"

"Lies, lies and more lies! That's all you are! From lying to everyone to force yourself back into our lives to your powers and worth! You're nothing but a liar!"

Axel took off running as the sniper shot at him again. He noticed that he dropped something from his pocket. He stopped seeing that it was the flute, but attempting to grab it only caused him to back up from the bullets that were surrounding said flute that would protect him against these cave monsters. The sniper smirked as he managed to get Axel farther from the musical instrument.

"So this is what you use to control those wretched beasts." He mumbled. "Witchcraft."

"D-Don't touch it!" The blond shouted feeling his cheeks light up.

"Why? Because I will have control of those monsters when I play?"

It wasn't just that (but then again, unless you were music oriented you wouldn't be able to actually play it like he did) but because he wanted to keep the memory in the back of his mind. Adell did put his mouth to the flute and Axel would later use that same flute and play it not minding that it was an indirect kiss.

"Fool. I don't need to play it. I can tame these guys without some dumb melody."

Someone was cocky. Taking his guns, he fired them in the air. The bullets in the gun this time are sounded more like fireworks than actual gunfire thus making louder noise in the cave and catching attention of the malchidael demons. Hearing their roars shook Axel's entire body. He wasn't going to…

"A more fitting death would be to feed you to these beasts since you love controlling them with this cursed music." He laughed seeing Axel back up from the threat. "I suggest you keep running because they're coming for you."

As he said that, he pointed his gun toward Axel's direction causing him to turn tail and run. He had to get away from this place before he got cornered, but Ocelot was blocking the exist forcing the music demon to run deeper and eventually get a dead end. Yet, with his mind filled with unfocused thoughts, he fell right into the trap. Forgetting that most of the untamed demons were straight ahead, Axel ended up falling into a deep hole. His screamed echoed through the cave as he landed in the middle of a clearing…right into enemy territory. The malchidael were minding their own business until they heard the loud noises. Turning around, they noticed the intruder and growled. Feeling his vision blur, Axel didn't realize that he charged straight ahead past the slow demons farther into their cave. It wouldn't be long before-

CRASH! Right into in the wall. His face slid down on impact.

"Oww…"

There was going to be more than a wow when he looked and realized that he was trapped and there were angry red rifle demons coming his way.

"That's right my lovelies, take him, break his bones, eat him. I don't care! Make him suffer!"

Axel looked around thinking of anything that could get him out. The sniper was too far away to hit him and maybe turn their attention to him. He couldn't climb without getting sniped back down and he couldn't take on four angry malchidaels. His feet were giving up on him and he felt his vision blur even more. Axel didn't even realize that he fell to the ground. His brain was shutting down as he clung to himself trying to calm himself for his painful death. No one would realize he ran over here. He would just be killed…but that's what everyone wants. He's a nuisance…but at least…his family would still remember him as the Dark Hero that made himself popular again. As long as they don't dig up his body here…but if he was eaten, that wouldn't be an issue.

He should use his power here to save himself…but he had no idea how to work it. These powers worked randomly so one moment they would save him from a desperate situation and the next; there was no trace of said aura. The golden aura could really help him out now but he couldn't hear anything especially with his state of mind. Axel didn't even realize that tears were forming in his eye as he was doing his best to scoot into the wall hoping he could fall right through it and into another area. He just wanted to beg for mercy at this point. It was in his character but…

_Dammit…dammit…dammit! Why am I so weak?! Why can't I do anything?! Why can't I be like Adell?! Adell…help…I…I…_

"Hey! Who the hell are you? You can't just waltz in here and ruin my fun? Hey, gahhh!"

Axel didn't even witness that Ocelot was Sparda kicked into the pit with him dropping the flute while he was at it. He did however witness the demons stopping whatever they were doing only to get kicked to the side.

"Idiot, what were you thinking?!" Came a voice who went over to him and attempted to punch him in the face for cowering in a corner only to lower his voice seeing that shouting wasn't helping. "We were looking all over for you!"

"A…dell?"

It didn't occur to him that he jumped into his savior's arms immediately and buried his head into the other's chest. He definitely wasn't crying though. The Dark Hero does not shed tears!

"H-Hey! Axel, get a hold of yourself! W-We're in the middle of a battle here!"

Adell could feel the fire burn behind him if only because he felt a jealous vampire ready to pump the back of his head with lead. Yet its not like he could push Axel off of him now.

"Sorry…Adell…I…" His voice was choked as if he was trying to hold back his sobs. "…I…need time…"

Closing his eyes, he pulled Axel back who immediately covered his eyes hiding the tears threatening to fall.

"We'll talk about what happened when we deal with these idiots." Adell promised. "If you can't find, then stay where you won't get hurt."

"Adell…just…give me the flute…and I'll deal with this."

The problem was that the Overlord already grabbed it as Rozalin shot at him. He jumped back still in control but he was fumbling now.

"You're slick Dark Hero bringing in reinforcements to save your sorry ass! But that alone is not going to save you. These ravaged beasts will kill you all!"

Adell already turned around cracking his fist. Fighting these many malchidaels would prove a challenge. He liked a good challenge even though he knew that fighting these monsters were ill advised especially when they were in groups.

"Come on! I'll take you all on!" Adell announced as his fists flared with a passionate fire that danced when the battle maniac charged the monsters. He was faster, more dangerous now then when he first encountered these beasts so as long as he could dodge their powerful blows, he wouldn't have to worry.

Rozalin didn't have that much room to shoot her enemy down. She ended up rushing toward Axel's location and protecting him from there.

"Rozalin…why?"

"We'll talk later. I'll open a path for you. When you're ready take the flute."

"A-Alright."

"I'm certain you can do that. You're not completely hopeless."

Rozalin continued firing bullets being careful to conserve her strength. If this Overlord proofed to be powerful without the red rifle demons then she would need all the strength she saved to back up Adell. The battle maniac quick movements prevented the malchidaels to lay a finger on him. Every time Adell stopped, he punched the demon into the air followed by a barrage of kicks sending that demon flying into another one of its kind. With his speed drew confusion making it difficult for Ocelot to point his gun at his target's head. The bullet always zipped past the redhead and hitting the demon instead and during the chaos, Axel managed to calm himself down. He charged toward the flute while everyone was distracted and taking it into his hand. He then rushed toward the rock where he could focus on playing. Adell blocked a blow that was heading toward Axel as he made it to the other side.

"Adell?"

"Just play it! This is nothing!" Adell ordered as blood ran down his face. "Nothing at all…"

He then repaid the rifle demon by punching it back. These things would not go down. Axel slowly brushed off any dirt on the flute before standing straight. Taking a few breaths, he then began to play a sweet melody toward the demons. They stopped what they were doing with the notes hitting their ears. The song Axel played was different than the previous two times and it had a different effect. The sniper intended to take advantage of the calmness taking a clear shot at Axel. Instead of punching him like a smart person would have done, he jumped in front of Axel taking the bullet in the chest.

"Adell!" Rozalin called out as she pointed her gun at the Overlord and shot him in the hand forcing him to drop his pistol.

"I'm…fine!"

Axel continued to play despite his rival receiving a fatal wound (maybe). The malchidaels paused what they were doing…before turning to the Overlord. For a minute, Axel's eyes were glowering in the direction of the Overlord as he played. Was the song giving these demons a direct order? As the melody grew softer, golden butterflies in the cave suddenly fluttered around the untamed demons and the music demon. This would have been a beautiful sight if the golden butterflies didn't incite violent tendencies on the rifle demons. They turned to the Overlord with eyes glowing red.

"W-What?"

The Dark Hero did not stop playing once the malchidaels changed their target. Adell and Rozalin moved out of the way when the demons used their machine gun like hand to fire at the sniper. He barely managed to dodge them, but when all were focused on him he was the one that got backed into the corner. They were going to fill this poor bastard with holes. Adell looked around searching for anything they can use to get out of the area. It was then did he see that there was a vine that could let them climb up the pit.

"Rozalin, do you see it?"

"Yes."

"You go first. Once they're done with him, they'll turn their attention to us."

"…Alright…"

The haughty vampire wasted no time in taking the vine that Adell was standing near and allowing her to climb up. Quickly, Adell went over to Axel who was finishing his performance. When the notes got lower, the malchidaels had completely surrounded the helpless Overlord. He was on the knees already screaming apologizes at the Dark Hero and begging him to stop them. Adell thought that Axel's kindness (as much as he would hate to admit that he was a kind hearted demon) would allow him to spare him. Axel would have none of that and let those monsters have their fun.

"P-Please…I won't say anything about you being…a monster…n-nice demons. I have food…I'm not the enemy…wah…garrrrgghhh!"

Adell was quick with grabbing Axel and grabbing another vine. Rozalin was at the top already and showing her newfound strength, she pulled them to safety. Letting go of the vine once they were at the top, Adell made sure that Axel was nowhere near the cliff when the malchidaels finished their meal. Leading the two out before they were noticed, the redhead had to get the gruesome image out of his mind, and to think that Taro could have ended up like this if he didn't make haste. The music demon finally released his mouth from the flute. By then, they were far enough from the untamed demons for them to notice that other potential meat had escaped without a scratch.

* * *

Axel sighed as he dragged behind Adell and Rozalin in reticence. He was still baffled that the couple would attempt to save him after being such a nuisance during their journey and being the main reason why they are having a dispute. Maybe Rozalin was ready to shoot him when they were close to Veldime or maybe Adell would perform the execution instead. Or maybe…nothing came from their mouths because they were wondering about his mental state. He didn't stop playing until the Overlord was dead. There was no way in hell he was going to tell him that his mind drifted when he grabbed the flute and played it because that in itself was a red flag for trouble and he already pulled enough flags around Rozalin. Maybe he should sneak away before they made it to their destination…

Rozalin stopped in her tracks as they near the village. Turning toward the boys, she delivered a displease look that spoke more words than her usual fits.

"…Rozalin…" Her boyfriend began but was cut short.

"Adell, Axel I had enough of your secrets. Tell me what you two have been doing behind my back. I'm not as stupid to think that there isn't something off."

Axel chuckled nervously at the suggestion. They were caught red handed but he would keep up the lie because that was what he did best. "Secrets? The Dark Hero doesn't keep secrets. What would I hide with this tribesman?"

"Adell goes out at times he would normally be training. Right here every day he trains until he feels like he has had enough. For the past week Adell you haven't been in this location. Instead I find out that you're hanging out with Axel." She clenched her fist trying to hide her anger and doubt that was boiling inside of her. She wouldn't let that voice take control of her over this misunderstanding. "Not only have you gotten closer but Adell, his scent leeks on you."

Adell's face paled at the mention of scent. He thought he did a good job with washing his body but ever since Rozalin unleashed Zenon's power, her scent of smell became sharper noticing the small things that she originally wouldn't notice. Axel looked at Adell like he blew it causing the redhead to chuckle nervously.

"We were sparring obviously." Axel quickly retorted. "The Dark Hero does not like engaging the tribesman in his home turf so I demand him to locate me instead."

"…I don't believe it. If you were only sparring all week, why keep it from me? And why would Adell spare with you? You lose to him every time."

Again Axel felt his pride hurt but he kept the lie going. "A rivalry isn't about who wins or who loses. It's about the bonds you make with your rival and the motivation he gives you."

Axel really didn't appreciate being given the look that he was smarter than he looked or was capable of saying something wise. Even with those words, Rozalin turned her attention to Adell. If Axel were the kind of liars, Adell would be the king of bad liars.

"Adell, what really is going on? I will not ask you again."

The battle maniac couldn't keep his poker face even if he tried. Her stare was burning through his skull making him visibly panic. It got to the point where his legs were trembling before he forced himself on the ground in zarei position.

"I'm sorry Rozalin! I didn't mean to hide anything!"

"Adell!"

It was already too late. Adell really couldn't hide things from his girlfriend. Keeping his promise was more important than his pride. Axel was horrified with Adell going into detail on what they have been doing the past week. The Dark Hero felt himself taking steps back with each word that came out of his mouth. Adell spewed how he failed Rozalin for not being able to make her feel special that night. How he went to Axel for help. How they've been having lessons on sexual encounters to deal with how to handle Rozalin for real and how by the end of the week, Adell would put his skills to the test and after Axel he would go straight to Rozalin and end their little meetings. Adell wondered what he was more scared of. Rozalin keeping a straight face the entire time or the fact that he feared that the Dark Hero looked ready to break down in front of him in fear of his life again especially at the mention of the events last night leading to today.

"Rozalin, I didn't mean to hurt you. This is the truth…you got to believe me."

Her eyes were cold as she stared down at Adell. The redhead trembled at the idea that his nightmare would come true. She would break her seal on purpose just to kill him in a horrifying passion and then turn her attention on the village returning to Overlord Zenon and becoming a being of solitude. While she was indeed angry, she showed no signs of killing him in a fit of jealousy.

"Rozalin…I…"

"Stand up Adell."

Her voice cut through like a sword. Adell gulped as he stood up only to be met with a hand slapping at his face. There was so much force to the slap though, it ended up sending him straight into the nearby tree.

"Yikes…" Axel muttered as he found himself hiding behind a tree.

Rozalin was not done with just one slap though. Adell expected her to pump his body with bullets but she relied on the brute force he loved so much. It's amazing that for someone with poor affinity for fists, she packed a bunch but being an angry female was bound to increase her strength by ten fold. Axel just watched Adell being pummeled to the ground by his girlfriend closing his eyes whenever Rozalin made contact with the battle maniac. You could hear Adell moan in pain but he did not scream or cry like any other demon would. However since Adell was human, he shouldn't be able to take this much abuse.

Adell took those hits like a man though and allowed himself to be covered in red slap marks and bruises. It was then did Rozalin take her gun out and point it at his head slowly causing him to break a sweat. Was she really going to kill him?

He waited for the trigger to be pulled but instead he found arms around his neck as she forced her boyfriend into an embrace.

"You idiot…" She mumbled. "Why did you have to do that without considering how I felt? I would not have minded your inexperience you big idiot…"

Adell could feel something wet soaking his shirt. His eyes widened in horror realizing what he had done.

"R-Rozy…"

"Don't talk you idiot! Just sit there and…uh…"

She couldn't hold it anymore as she ended up crying in his arms. He froze in place not knowing what to do but to slowly embrace her. Axel couldn't bring himself to step out in the open. This was there time and he didn't want to ruin it for them again…that was all he was good for. Adell glanced at Axel and noticing the pain looked of countenance. Taking care of Rozalin was important but the reason he even ran out in the first place was to save Axel…

The trio were in the clearly for a while not moving from their spot with only the evening cicadas and the sobs of the haughty vampire to auscultate the area. Rozalin was a strong woman though who hated having people see her in a weakened state. Slowly she forced herself to stop crying and pulled herself away from Adell as she folded her arms again.

"Don't do this again." Was all she dictated before turning away in shame.

"…I'm sorry."

Adell slowly stood up surprised that despite the beat down, he could still move around. Glancing at the Dark Hero who remained speechless the entire time.

"Axel…" Adell began slowly knowing he was going to have to continue apologizing as his only response. "I'm sorry for putting you through this…"

Axel forced himself to smile and laugh it off. "What do you mean? There's no reason for you to be sorry with me. I offered so I got what was coming to me…"

"No…that's not what I mean…last night…you ran off because I forced myself on you…I'm sorry for that. I failed your lesson because I wanted to get things done quicker…"

His smile was wavering but he wasn't going to make things worse for the evening. "Its fine. It might have caught me off guard but there was no way in hell was I scared that much…"

"Axel…why don't you stop lying." Rozalin hissed as she forced herself to look at the Dark Hero. "I know Adell's side of the story, but what's yours. How would you benefit from jumping in bed with this idiot?"

Adell had a sickening feeling that it was going to take a while to regain her trust and with Axel constant fibbing, it was going to be even longer…

"Oh come on. Adell pretty much said the truth. What would I be hiding? And what could I gain? Nothing much expect to make fun of him for messing up."

"…I don't believe you."

"C-Come on! What are you a living lie detector? What do you want me to say that I like your boyfriend and wanted to get in bed with him? That's impossible. Heh heh heh…"

He laughter was full of fear and anxiety with Rozalin's piercing stare…and it didn't come from just Rozalin but Adell too. Well, Adell's was more of a worried gaze then anything else but he wasn't going to confess his true feelings here.

"…Axel…" Rozalin started again trying her best not to lose her temper a second time, "Adell's story does not add up with your attitude. The things you suggested do not seem to benefit Adell as it does you. If you really wanted to get things done and over it, this would have been finished in one day. Yet you expanded your lesson for over a week with one day being a date. What are you planning?"

He shook his head. He would not make a declaration of love…a Dark Hero would not do that.

"Nothing! I'm just as surprised at you at how bad Adell is at romance and setting the mood. Adell is just a bad student so I had to make it a week."

"Gee thanks…"

"Axel!"

Axel turned his back on the two trying his best not to say anything else but he found something well up inside of him. If he kept this inside, he might not be able to move on, but he told himself again that this was not a good idea.

"…There's no point in saying anything. I already messed up with you two…so I won't say anything else but I'm sorry…"

"Axel…"

"I mean really, what could the Dark Hero be planning? He's incapable of making good decisions and never thinks ahead. There was no incentive expect to feel good…"

"Feel good in what?" Adell inquired. "You probably did get some sick satisfaction seeing me screw up but-"

"Adell…Rozalin…please drop it…"

He was shaking now. He had to get out of here before he broke down again. He would not lose his image in front of them.

"Axel…"

Adell was already behind him. How could he cross the gap so fast? Grabbing at his shoulder, he tried to spin the music demon around. He had to curse his luck if he was going to see another set of tears from another proud demon.

"Get the hell away from me…" The Dark Hero threatened as he pushed the battle maniac away. "Stop playing with me."

Now the couple was confused with Axel's sudden change in behavior. This is what they wanted. Why were they so surprised? Before he knew it, Axel found himself raging at the redhead.

"I get it! I screwed up! I didn't think much when I offered myself to you Adell! It was just practice dammit but you have to be such a nice jerk about it!" He knew that sentence made no sense but he continued. "All you had to do was do basic things that couples do! Instead you go to the extreme and embarrass me! And if that wasn't enough you have to rescue me not once but twice! You know what you done you jackass?! What I wanted to do in helping you just once and doing something good turned out to be another selfish thing for me! You're an asshole for making me feel like crap."

Axel's language was getting worse with each accusation and Adell still didn't understand why he was mad.

"So I just hurt your pride? What's the big dea-"

"You think this is a pride thing Adell! Why do you insist on me being a cowardly demon that only cares about his ego! I'm more than that you jerk! When I tell you to read the atmosphere, do it! I don't want to beg for you to read between the lines! I just wanted you to stop but you kept going and made me fall for you dammit! All I wanted was to be your rival and just for you to acknowledge that but your actions made me think that I had a chance with you!"

Neither Adell nor Rozalin expected this type of response and before they could interrupt Axel continued to burn the bridges with the only people who accepted him as a person.

"You made me love you dammit and if you're only going to love the one person I was trying to help you win back even more then I don't want to love at all."

He couldn't take those words back and laugh it off like it was nothing. The couple would have to accept that they created a love triangle without warning and that there were consequences. It hurt him so much because Axel knew that even with this logic it was his fault. Always was. Always will be.

"A-Axel…you…"

Wiping his tears, he turned back around. "I appreciate you saving me…but you won't need to do it again. I'll…leave…"

And Axel didn't mean just for now. He met for good. He really was going to jump Netherworlds so he wouldn't have to deal with this love triangle he created. Adell and Rozalin were calling out to him when he rushed off not back to Veldime of course but back to the hotel where the Director was staying. He just wanted to get away from everything now. His life here wasn't worth it.

Once he got back, the Director attempted to yell at him for missing out on interviews. Axel wouldn't hear this when he rushed back to his room and slammed his door. He turned the lights off and made sure to lock the door despite the Director's concern for "His darling Axel". He sluggishly made it on the bed and flopped onto it.

_Why did everything have to go so wrong? Why can't I do anything right?! All I wanted was to help Adell and I made things worse…dammit…I'm so pathetic._

* * *

**DAY 7**

If Axel didn't feel like a bigger loser before it was definitely today. What was he doing packing all of his backs and preparing to jump ship? He made sure the Director wasn't at the door when he called up Pink. She had just finished another acting role and was getting bored with her occupation. Him calling her was perfect timing on his part especially when Axel made the suggestion to jump to another Netherworld for the thrill of a different spotlight. Pink already knew a dimension lord that could send them to another Netherworld no problem. All Axel had to do was pack his things and meet her that night so they could go.

The Dark Hero would tell no one of his disappearance. They say to continue a popular image, one simply had to disappear without a trace. This time he wouldn't be labeled as dead in his world. With that stunt he pulled, he would be remembered in history as the biggest troll for announcing that Overlord Zenon was his entire ploy and played every Overlord. Maybe this time though he could run away from the would be assassins. Adell couldn't protect him forever and with that confession, he had to get away from the backlash.

The fact he wouldn't tell anyone his whereabouts was worse. He wouldn't tell his family to avoid any misunderstandings again. He wouldn't tell the Director who had helped him realize that he was a Dark Hero, not a hero (although that title sounded tempting since heroes were worshipped for what they did and while those close to him preferred him as the Dark Hero…he still wanted to be recognized for his efforts without dragging those he loved down). Finally he wouldn't tell Adell who had become an important person in his life. Adell would forget him with do time. Heck, he imagined that Adell and Rozalin would get hitched relatively quickly once they settled things. They didn't need him staying here.

This was why he was leaving in the morning instead of in the evening. The Director was still asleep. If his Director found out, Axel would be forced to cancel his plans and this was something he had to do or else he would never be able to forgive himself.

The Gods really hated him when he finished packing his essentials and rushed for the door. There was already someone on the other side. Like Axel really needed this person to be towering over him with that concerned expression.

"Axel…I'm glad I made it…I have to apologize…"

"Adell…you don't have to. It's my fault." The Dark Hero sighed feeling his strength leave him. "Why are you here? Rozalin will be furious if she caught you with me again…she'll think you haven't learned your lesson."

"She knows I came here. I have to make it up to you…I mean…" Adell scratched the back of his head glancing away from the older demon. How was he going to word this? "…I forced you to do this and you gained these feelings…and I…"

"That has nothing to do with you Adell. J-Just forget what I said!"

The redhead noticed that luggage that Axel was carrying. He was confused where he was heading and without telling his Director (who he could tell was still sleeping with his loud snoring).

"Where are you going?"

"The Dark Hero is going on vacation. I mean someone as powerful and sexy and me need a break every now and then from this popularity." He hummed as he attempted to push past the redhead. Realizing that the battle maniac wasn't going to let him leave without answers, he sighed a second time before letting his façade fall. "…I can't fool you Adell. I'm jumping Netherworlds."

"What…"

"I'm going with a friend of course so I won't be lonely. I think…you and Rozalin need to mend your relationship…I'm willing to leave because of that…"

"But…why?"

"Adell…I...forget it. Its not worth it."

"What's not worth it Axel?!"

"My feelings for you idiot!" The blond declared when Adell closed the door behind them. "You're such an idiot! You think it only took a week to fall for you! I liked you longer than that!"

"Wha…"

"Call me a masochist but I noticed you when you beat me when we first met. Yes I wanted revenge for you ruining my chance to become famous but you were different from other humans! You were strong, powerful and you never broke your promises! I lived longer than you and I know humans aren't any of those things!" Axel wouldn't let Adell interrupt him as he continued to shoot his mouth off. "And then you showed me that you put your family above all else…and I realized we were similar in that aspect…I…I wanted to be like you. You're everything I can't be so even if I was just your rival, I was fine with these boiling emotions! Why? Because at least you looked my way!"

"Axel…"

"I thought I finally found someone that noticed me for who I am…I mean…yes I have girlfriends that follow the great me around but…someone noble like you to even notice me and to thank me for things that I screwed up on…I felt special…so when you needed my help specifically, I was so happy that I jumped into this without thinking…"

"…Do you regret it?" Adell questioned. His voice was still shaky but he continued to give him a concerned look.

"I don't know…I should be happy that this is off my chest…but you love Rozalin…you met her first…and maybe…if you weren't with her maybe I would…" He stopped himself from finishing those words. He wasn't going to cry again over something this lame, but with Adell giving him a pitiful look…crushed his heart more than he thought.

"Axel…should I…"

"No don't…our lessons were finished two days ago. You don't need to go until the end. You have to figure out how to do it yourself with the one you love…don't use a pathetic demon like me for practice…it will hurt more than it will help."

Axel didn't realize that at this point, Adell had managed to push him away from the door and onto the bed. When he tried to move toward the door, he was pushed back down with the battle maniac on top of him. Feeling his face fluster, he tilted his away from Adell's gaze.

"…I need to go Adell." He spoke as he tried to get up. "I have to get to meet at the dimension gate at a certain time or I won't go at all."

Adell wouldn't budge causing Axel to squirm underneath him.

"Please…this is best for the three of us."

"Who are you to say that?"

"Huh?"

"Idiot! If you left, things would be boring! Sure I have Rozalin but you're just as important as she is! Don't put yourself on the bottom just because everyone else thinks you're trash!"

"Adell!"

"Axel, you're my friend and as a friend, I'm telling you that this isn't going to work."

Adell should have chosen a better word. Axel felt his heart snap in two at that word. A friend? That was all he was too Adell. That was better than being a rival…but not what he wanted. He was being selfish that he wanted the human towering over him. But what could he do? He was taken and he had nothing but a bruised ego and a broken heart. He didn't recall laughing when he was referred to as a friend but it was enough to scare the redhead. Something snapped in the music demon causing him to push him off with a force Adell didn't know he had as he got up and grabbed his suitcase.

"What the-Axel!"

"Adell…if I'm your friend…then make a promise to forget about me and be happy with Rozalin. That's all I ask for."

"But…Axel…"

"Adell…if you care at all about me at all, please let me go!"

He was begging now. Anymore pleading and he'd break in front of his rival. The redhead froze again not knowing how to do with those who cry. He fought to prevent those close to him not to cry. Again, he didn't know what to do…so he made the mistake to let Axel go. The music demon slowly made his way toward the door. Looking back, he wanted to see why Adell wouldn't stop him. Seeing Adell standing up but refusing to move from his spot caused Axel to shake. Secretly, he wanted Adell to reach out for him and tell him that he was more important than the stupid promise he made. Closing his eyes, he rushed out the room not turning back.

Adell stayed in the room for a couple of minutes, the words that the music demon gave him echoed through his ear. His fists were trembling with rage as he slowly walked toward the door. His legs were trembling ready to give up on him. Upon reaching the doorframe, he couldn't hold in his emotions any longer and punched the wall causing it to crack (and by extension shaking the entire hotel). He wanted to scream as his fist moved on its own taking out its frustration on the unmoving wall until his hand punched through to the other side before he felt his legs give up on me. He wasn't crying but he felt like something in his heart shattered too.

_Axel you idiot!_  He cursed as he quickly got up and walked away from the room before anyone could see the damage he did.  _How could you see yourself as useless? You helped me more than you think and you just…walk away after all of that…how am I supposed to keep my promise to you when you…make a face like that._

No, he wasn't in love with the Dark Hero. Rozalin was always going to be the number one in his heart, but at the same time, he felt like he was given the world to hold and failing despite his strength. In the end, he would have to choose between caring for Axel and fulfilling that promise or going out of his way to break that promise for his own selfish reason.

What started out as keeping his promise would later be him breaking said promise in due time…  
  
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End file.
